This invention relates to radar and, more particularly, radar cross section (hereinafter referred to as "RCS") augmentation of a radar signal reflected from a conical reentry space vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a "reentry vehicle") used as a decoy to simulate a much larger reentry vehicle, and thereby deceive, in the national interest, and hostile tracker thereof.
It is to be understood that the term "reentry vehicle", as used herein, is intended to mean a space vehicle (or decoy thereof) which is not only capable of being launched or the like into space, but which is also capable of successfully reentering the earth's atmosphere.
It is well known that booster loading, ejection mechanism and packaging constraints favor small diameter decoys. However, conical reentry vehicle decoys have RCS which decrease with, and as compared to, their base diameter. Thus, reentry vehicle RCS matching requirements favor large base diameter decoys to achieve moderate RCS levels (i.e., o to -25 dBsm, UHF through C-Band). Consequently, mechanical and electrical constraints are in opposition. This fact motivates search for ways to achieve large forward RCS levels for small decoys. Among the known passive means for increasing small conical body RCS is attachment of unfurlable scattering structures to the decoy which erect after or upon decoy release. Other means include modifications of the decoy body to increase the forward RCS. The present invention lies in the second catagory, providing a structural improvement for, and a method of, small decoy reentry vehicle RCS enhancement without the use of unfurlable attachments.
More specifically, I have invented an improvement, and a method, each of which yields a large forward RCS, for a decoy of a conical reentry space vehicle having a small base, over a broad range (i.e., more than two octaves), without either the use of any unfurlable appendage, or the on-board amplification of an illuminating signal. I have, thereby, significantly advanced the state-of-the-art.